This past Saturday was quite a treat for the locals as Frederick's owner Rumour Ghost hosted their free BBQ party down at the beach. A gorgeous deck was set up with a bar, picnic area, and pretty lanterns to give light after sunset. There were also grills full of delicious meats, coolers of booze, a fully stocked bar, and volleyball down on the sand. 

     Folks from all over the island came to relax and enjoy the evening including Sonia from BTB Gym and Cadence Rau from Castilla de Rau Photography. Among the many others that attended, former police captain Ming Yheng was tending bar. Of course she had to add the Yheng flare to it, getting in a small scuffle and some how ending up topless! Ms Ghost did state "Ms Yheng is not an employee of Fredricks and her unfortunate incident with one of our guests . Thankfully Malicki Sylver of Sylver Security was on scene and handled everything for me. He was such a great big help through all of the event and even the level of drunken people seemed to be at a minimum which is a small miracle for AP! "

     "It was a great night and the weather was perfect with that cooling breeze coming up off the ocean and for the people who asked me what happened to the left over food, well we donated all the meat to several animal shelters on the mainland. Everything else that could be composted was and it all goes back to the farmers to enrich their fields for the next harvest. You know its kinda great giving back, not only to my friends but to those abandoned animals and the land itself." said Ms Ghost, who clearly has a huge heart and isn't afraid to show it! Remember to check out the calendar for next month's ​Fredrick's Fabulous Free Feast!

And just as a friendly reminder: Don't breed or buy, go adopt your next fur baby from a shelter!

    I've had two bits of advice sent to me recently for the gossip section but it feels as if there should be more attention brought to this! Both reports mention a police captain in the arms of a rumored Immortal. The twist is that its not one police captain, its both!

   Captain Ming Yheng hasn't always had the cleanest past and its no secret she really didn't work for the force before being hired as co-captain for the department. Its also no big surprise that some of her supposed family even have a record or work for the seedier businesses in town. Just the other night, I was informed from an anonymous source that Captain Yheng is sharing a bed with none other than Asmus Zero, a supposed member of the gang "Immortals". This recent bit of information serves to help confirm that her loyalties lie with the criminals of the island rather than its good citizens. 

    One Captain involved with criminals is enough to raise question, but it seems that even Captain Luke Morningstar is involved with a member of the Immortals. It is said that a few weeks ago Captain Morningstar was seen outside the doors of the Aristocrat with Kayla Calhern, a psychiatrist at the hospital and a suspected gang member. 

    It seems the interaction trickles even further down the ranks with hints that one of the Sergeants is dating Dr Gael Zero, confirmed family member of some of the Immortals. This, along with the previous accusations, are all hearsay at this point in time and need to be looked into further for validation. 

Reported by Kara Dumitru

    We've seen several calls for justice lately but the stories from concerned citizens have yet to slow. Is Asphyxiation Point reaching a breaking point and spiraling into chaos? We've had months of discord and about the time we think it is safe to step outside our doors again, we are swiftly corrected with a shoot out or bombing or torturous kidnapping. 

   In the last few weeks, I've tried to reach out to the officers of our town and get some answers on these events. Sadly, I was dodged by most until Officer Eli Vicente kindly set aside some time to speak with me. While he did mention that the cells below had been nick named "Hotel Yheng" before Captain Ming Yheng stepped up, he did say that the officers have been working almost day and night to keep the citizens of Asphyxiation Point safe. He also somewhat repeated Captain Luke Morningstar's sentiment that the police rely on the people as much as we rely on them, but it seems the people have "this  Bonnie and Clyde hero worship of terrible people, a fascination with serial killers. And they aren't bad people, they just... have these... fetishes." If we expect our fine officers to aid us, we have to help them by giving statements and not withholding evidence. There are many cases that just get forgotten because witnesses will not step forward and victims change their minds about pressing charges. 

   Another officer finally came forwards as well, but wishes to remain anonymous. The officer did notify me that the DA will be moving forward with some of the backlogged cases so that some of these criminals can finally meet justice. The first of these cases will be auto shop owner, Xelan Morgath, who is to be brought up on charges of kidnapping, criminal threatening, and disorderly conduct. The other case is Asmus Zero who is being charged with murder in the first degree, assault with a deadly weapon, assaulting a police officer, and resisting arrest. 

   When I contacted District Attorney Martinho Larsson, he stated he didn't have anything on his desk at the moment and declined any further comments. Perhaps he is just doing his job and not giving out information that could alert these criminals? Maybe he is not going to pursue criminal action against known felons? Could it be the information the officers gave me is false?

    One concerned citizen sat down with me the other day and when the subject of the Immortals came up they mentioned " Anyone with the last name Zero or Calhern should would likely be a concern to the public. The medical director at APH is a high official in the group. Since he is running the group and the hospital he has hired on a number of others that are known attackers and rapists. As far as I know they are able to come and go as they please. They also have access to medical files and patients when they are most vulnerable making APH for the most part unsafe and corrupt."

    With all the conflicting information and the recent bombing, its time to dig a little deeper. I went straight to the center of some of these stories and asked Dr Gael Zero to speak with me on these matters and he willingly obliged. 

Kara Dumitru: "As head of the local hospital, have you seen a rise in patients? Are you adequately equipped to handle all the shootings and things like the van bombing the other day?" 

Gael Zero: "So far we are able to handle the difficulties, and when there is a complication to big for us, there are stronger equipped hospital in reach. Criminality has always been a high factor why my beds are filled"

Kara Dumitru:  "There are some whispers about town that some of these criminal responsible for the victims in your bed actually work on your staff? Is this true? Do you require any sort of background checks in your hiring process?"

Gael Zero: "When I hire my staff, yes, I do a check upon them, criminal records, where they come from, if their reference is honorable or not. However, no matter how hard I do try to fend corruption, its not always in my control"

Kara Dumitru: "I guess another side of the question is do any of your patients get favoritism over others?"

Gael Zero:  ""I don't really like what you are insinuating here, every patient is equal and every one gets fair treatment regardless what happened, or where they come from"

Kara Dumitru: "Its my job to ask the uncomfortable questions so, there are rumors you are associated with a group called the Immortals. Is there any truth to that?"

Gael Zero: "That rumor comes from many sides and usually I give the same answer as I normally give. Some are family and.. family you can't pick. I do not approve what they do, however up until now, I have not turned my back against them either. And yes, I said up until now" 

    Some of my questions seemed to offend Dr Zero but, some of the officers had not been to pleased either. It is understandable that, for legal reasons, not all information is available to the public but this muddled mess of truth and lies leaves the citizens at risk.  We here at the Times promise to keep digging and reaching out! If you have any information regarding criminal activity, please report it to the police first then give us a call!

Reported by Kara Dumitru

      Everyone knows the Aristocrat is a classy little place to have a drink and that there is something else going on just beneath the surface that only their members know about. One concerned member of this elite establishment has said she spotted roaches the other day. Could they have made their way over from Fredericks or could it be the poor owner of Frederick's had to deal with an escapee roach from the Aristocrat?

Reported by Kara Dumitru

Have you heard any rumors? Seen anything intriguing? Send me a line!

When one thinks about a gym, one generally thinks about men. But Below The Belt Gym, as many of you know, has a new owner, and the owner is a female. Her name is Sonia. And she proves that women are just as fierce as any man.

I had the pleasure of getting a few minutes in with her and some of her trainers to see how things have been... shaping up (pun intended)... since the grand re-opening. Happily, I can report that they are doing great! I was met with a pleasant staff that was not only polite but also seemed to genuinely love working there. Which, in my opinion, would be helpful to any member when it comes to wanting to attend sessions.

Speaking of sessions, I asked Sonia about what all they are offering, and I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of options. Every AP citizen can find something that not only fits what they need but would also will fit their budget.

"The VIP program has been a big success. VIP members have twenty-four-seven access to any available trainer if they want to do morning work outs or late night training with a spotter or need an extra boost of confidence," says owner, Sonia. "Of course basic membership is also an option as well as flexible membership pay. There is a pay by what days you use for a flat fee a day that could be payed at the end of the month and then the bi weekly membership, monthly, and of course a cheaper fee if payed for a full year.  It is non refundable unless stated otherwise."

So, as you can see ... lots of options!

Trainer Donovan explains, "Really, there are a lot of options that this place can offer people. We don't have a ton of machines, but with free weights and our skilled trainers, we can replicate anything you might want to do without a lot of tweaking. Remember, you get out of your body what you put into it, and with us helping, we can put a lot into you to make you how you want to be."

Sonia went on to tell me about an upcoming fight they would like to plan. They are currently looking for the public to get involved, come in and train and participate and to make it a city-wide event. She says, "What I would like to see happen is participation.  Even if someone cannot fight, seats need to be filled, concessions need to be served and bets need to be organized. There is something fun for everyone so don't knock it until you try it."

So, if you're interested, hop on down to Below the Belt Gym and sign up! And if you are concerned about the temporary closing they had, Sonia assures me that it was a simple thing that is dealt with. As she says, "I want to put out there that despite the unforeseen obstacles, this gym is not going anywhere and neither am I." 

Contributed by Nora Adara (jstjdysl619)

     Its no secret that our picturesque little island has seen a rise in gang activity as of late. Crime is running rampant from an increase in the flow of illegal drugs to rumors of human trafficking to the very obvious shootouts that endanger all our lives. With such chaos spreading, one has to ask what is being done about it? Well, we here at the Times feel it is our job to answer these tough questions!

    My first stop was at the AP Police Department where I spoke to Captain Luke Morningstar, who obtained his leading rank after only a few short months on the force. On the outside, it seems like he maintains a tight ship and has contributed to a rising number of officers on the island. Of course that rising number of officers has correlated with the rising number of crimes. When asked about that, Captain Morningstar stated "We here at the APPD do our best to protect our citizens but we can't be everywhere so we rely on the public to be our eyes and ears. A police force is only as strong as the community, you have a strong community you have a strong force. If people stay away from the crime then there is less crime its all a give and take."

    Of course our little community relies on this force to protect us, but are they? A few anonymous citizens shared their experiences saying they had 911 calls not get dispatched and that requests for patrols in their area were denied. How can we, as a community, rely on our supposed protectors when they refuse to help? Two citizens even informed me that there aren't even any records on them at the hospital or the police station. Is this just negligence on the part of the department or is there something more to it? I asked Captain Morningstar about this and his reply was simple ""All information is important to me Kara, no case is more important then the next." Is it though? From what I've been told, there has been no further action on these 'missing' cases and some seem to be able to skate by under the radar.

   Many rumors seem to be flying around the island about a group called the Immortals and their interactions with the police force. Could it be that our boys and girls in blue have been bought out by some of the very people we should fear? If this is true, can we really rely on them to come to our aid when we call for help? I tried to dig into this more and speak with other officers but each one declined a meeting or refused to comment. 

   Has your case gone unsolved? Was your call for help unanswered? Do you have information to validate or disprove these rumors? Drop me a line! 

Contributed by Kara Dumitru

    Just the other day I got a frantic call from a woman claiming to have witnessed a roach infestation inside Frederick's restaurant and this most definitely merited a face to face talk! Ms Adeline Ramirez came in visibly upset and shaken stating that (now brace yourself if you're squeamish) she'd been served a meal with a little extra crunch. According to her, she was not the only one that evening to have experienced such an encounter.

    Ms Ramirez stated that she and a friend had stumbled upon a homeless woman and decided to take her to dinner. According to her, the waiter was a little 'off' and not to long before being served, the poor man returned from the kitchen with a black eye. It was shortly after this that the roach infested food was served to them, causing quite the upset. Frederick's is known to be one of the classier places in town, but is it just a front for lack of health concerns and staff abuse?

   I went straight to the top for this one and spoke with Ms Rumour Ghost over the phone. She was more than willing to share her side of the story and get this situation corrected!

Kara Dumitru: Does Frederick's currently have a roach infestation?

Rumour Ghost: We have had more than usual of late. Im suspecting it to be the summer heat bringing them out from hiding more and with that, Ive arranged for the restaurant to be fully sprayed so we keep our A+ rating with the city health inspectors. Every restaurant faces these kinds of problems from time to time and although we do run a clean kitchen, unfortunately you cant always have it spotless.

Kara Dumitru: Is it true several customers had food served with insect parts?

Rumour Ghost: That I cannot honestly answer as I have not had anyone approach me or my staff personally to complain. Ive not been shown any evidence of contaminated food and if there was, I know my staff would not have served it. Fredrick's takes great pride in the quality of our food and service.

Kara Dumitru: Any ideas on the cause and is it set to be treated?

Rumour Ghost: I wouldn't say an infestation but Ive heard that the gym recently had a problem and had been sprayed? Im not sure of those facts though and since they're below Fredrick's, I can only make assumptions that they've moved up through the Castle Casino and come to roost in Fredrick's. I do have my suspicions that they're migrating up from the Underground area since the place is now more open. Who knows what lives down there? Im more concerned if rats start making their way into the Cooper Square apartments to be frightfully honest. Could you imagine sitting in the theater one night enjoying a movie and then have a rat bite you? No thank you!

Kara Dumitru: When was the last health inspection for the restaurant?

Rumour Ghost: We conduct a yearly Health Inspection. The last one was after Hurricane Hayden hit back in April. Along with that, we also had the whole building inspected for structural damage since we lost the houses along Indian Trails and 8th Street, I wanted to make sure that the whole building Fredricks resides in was structurally sound.

Kara Dumitru: There was also rumor that the staff is being abused, is this true?

Rumour Ghost: This shocks and greatly saddens me. At no time are my staff ever abused as I prefer to think of them as family and not employees. I provide them with training they need, full health benefits and if they are hurt, I make sure that their families are provided for until they're back on their feet again so just hearing any kind of rumor about my staff being abuse, hurts me deeply.

Kara Dumitru: Have these accusations/events affected business?

Rumour Ghost: Actually we've only recently had to deal with two female protesters outside the restaurant. Shouting slogans like we had poisoned them with cockroaches in their food. It was the first time I heard any accusation, when it was screamed into my face as I stood outside the restaurants door. As to affecting my business, no, we still have customers coming in and thankfully we had a lovely couple come for dinner right after Captain Yheng of the APPD coming to assist me when the protesters were becoming too rowdy.

   So there you have it folks, a possible misunderstanding for certain. The owner also stated she's be more than happy to provide compensation to her guests or her staff if there is evidence of any wrong doings. I think it's safe to say that Frederick's is still our go-to place for fine dining! Perhaps we can put this little event past us and take part in the new gourmet picnic basket Ms Ghost and the head Chef will be putting together? What could be better than night under the stars with a bottle of wine and a fine dinner?

Contributed by Kara Dumitru 

   Among the many changes in businesses on our island as of late, Below the Belt Gym has also gained a new owner. Sonia D’Infinity recently took over the building and has done some great work to get the place cleaned up and even temporarily got rid of the typical stale sock smell! 

    She has a few trainers currently on staff, including the town’s favorite stripper, Bruno Caffarelli, who was happy to do a little flexing for the crowd. Sonia is currently working on bringing on more instructors to hold your typical classes as well as self defense. 

    There is no better time to perfect that beach body than now! You've got everything from weights to yoga to mma fighting to pick from, swing by today and grab a membership!

Contributed by Kara Dumitru